Ongoing trash fire in Orrington prompts air quality alert for Midcoast, eastern interior Maine

MAINE PUBLIC • October 3, 2024

The Department of Environmental Protection has issued an air quality alert for today and Friday for the Midcoast and interior areas of eastern Maine. Winds are dispersing smoke from a large trash fire in Orrington that began on Tuesday night. The fire started on Tuesday inside a trash incinerator plant formerly operated by the Penobscot Energy Recover Company. The PERC plant ceased operations in May 2023 but an estimated 8,000 tons of trash were left behind.